Penne Pasta Casserole Baked With Spaghetti Sauce And Cheese
Creative Cooking Pays Off
Do you ever have one of those days that you plan on making a certain dish and you just dread the thought of it. Not wanting to make the same old recipe again I decided to get creative and see what I could come up with. I must say that it tasted pretty good. Everyone had seconds so it had the family stamp of approval and the "please make this again" responses made it a hit. Here is the recipe for the casserole I made in case you would like to try it.
Cook Time For Sauce and Oven Time
Spices
- ½ tsp Thyme
- ½ tsp Basil
- ½ tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Crushed Chili Peppers
- 2 or 3 dashes of hot sauce I used Louisiana hot sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of lean ground beef cooked and drained
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 3 stalks of celery chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic pressed
(You don’t have to use this much garlic
unless you are a big garlic fan like me).
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes
- 1 large can of tomato sauce
- 1 can of mushrooms or fresh if you have them
- 900 gram bag of Penne pasta noodles cooked and drained
I had only planned on making one 9 X 12 dish of this but as it turned out I had extra pasta and sauce left over so I made another 8 X 10 dish. One dish I made with mozzarella cheese and the other with old cheddar cheese.
Cheese
3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups of shredded old cheddar cheese
Spaghetti Sauce
While the ground beef is cooking chop your onion, green pepper, celery and peel your garlic cloves. Once ground beef is cooked drain and set aside. In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil. Add vegetables and sauté for about five minutes. Add into the pot diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir. Add spices, hamburger and stir. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low cooking for 35 minutes. While the spaghetti sauce is cooking cook your noodles. Drain noodles rinse and set aside. Press the garlic cloves into the sauce and add the mushrooms. Continue cooking on low for another 15 – 20 minutes.
Instructions
In a large ovenproof dish put in a layer of noodles then spread some of the spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle ½ of the mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. Add more noodles, sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat the same process with a smaller ovenproof dish and use the cheddar.
Bake at 300°F on the middle oven rack for 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Serve with salad and garlic bread if you like.
The Finished Dish
Sound good? Please rate.
© 2011 Susan Zutautas
Comments
You're giving me a wonderful recipe for today's after-mass lunch gathering :)
I was so hungry I made a mistake, I meant to say "it's too early to make me so hungry.." lol
I love casseroles...firstly easy to make and secondly easy to eat esp for picky eaters...lol
So I guess I'll never go hungry as long as I have my Poetry tucked away in my coat pocket on the streets then:0) but maybe they will slip a little rat poison in, yikes, the death of another poet...okay Hank I'm coming to join you for a beer and a toke....
Again a delicious and mouth watering hub. Thanks
Aw now you've captured this Saddle's heart and taste buds. I am not Italian but should have been. I love everything Italian. Penne is one of my favorite noodles, and you've done yourself proud. If you ever need a border, I am willing to move to your town, pay double what your asking as long as you include your fabulous exciting dishes. I even promise to read you my poetry, oh dam I just scared you off, I'm sorry:-0))))). Oh well forget about the poetry, I'll still pay double for those dishes of ours. Dam you make me so hungry with your hubs....I can smell it and taste it right through my laptop. Bravo well done.
Looks like a hearty dish for a cold day. (We get plenty of cold in Chicago.) :)
Sounds delicious and something that my whole family would eat. Bookmarked to try very soon. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Susan, it's too hungry to make me so hungry. Wow, I love pasta, I love cheese so these casseroles are right up my taste buds!
Mmmmmm mouth watering :) x
Waw Nice and Delicious recipe. thanks and voted up
Mmm Susan so delicious...I should have been Italian...I could eat this dishes over, and over again and NEVER tire...Thanks for sharing such wonderful Recipes. I look forward to following your Hubs.
This looks delicious, and the more garlic the better!
This looks delicious! Sounds kind of like a lasagna dish but easier to make and minus the ricotta. Perfect!
I love your recipes!
Susan, This looks so good and I think I would have to be very careful to not overeat! Thanks for the recipe.
This delectable dish is dangerous for the dieter!
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